: Re: How many plot points ( whatever you call them ) do you need for a novel? I just started to plot out my scenes like this in bullet points Tess runs away Tess fights the bad guy Tess gets

@Margaret427

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No. They are not really plot points. They are scene or chapter summaries.

From tone of your question I'm guessing you're new to this. Contrary to everything you've been told you are unlikely to write a 300 page novel of any worth using the the technique you describe. It'll work for a 1950's 80 minute movie script or a comic book strip. But as an event-driven modern novel - they don't work that way. This is what you may be taught but if you read modern novels you'll see they bear no resemblance.

Unless your writing is exquisite and you use a lot introspection you cannot follow a single character for 300 pages.

At some point you may need to use the "meanwhile back at the ranch" scenario. This enables you to SHOW events which your MC is unaware of, villains plotting against the MC, the love interest being kidnapped etc.

I say all of this because I can remember writing the few chapters of my first novel. And I am grateful to my sister for stopping me continuing the way I was going. I was about to waste 3-6 months of my life that I couldn't ever get back.

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